The present invention relates to carbonated liquid beverages, and more particularly relates to a method and apparatus for adding or maintaining carbonation to bottled beverages, and the dilution and purging of air from within the beverage container.
Carbonated beverages are typically packaged, stored and shipped in plastic or glass bottles sealed with a removable cap or top, most commonly a threaded screw-on cap which can be quickly and easily removed and replaced during use. However, upon removal of the cap, the carbonated liquid within the bottle will begin to lose its carbonation or xe2x80x9cfizzxe2x80x9d. As the beverage is consumed and removed from the bottle, a greater amount of air remains in the bottle relative to the amount of liquid in the bottle. As the air space within the bottle increases relative to the amount of carbonated liquid, even with the cap on the bottle, the carbon dioxide in the liquid will dissipate into the air space above the liquid, and the carbonated liquid will subsequently continue to lose its carbonation or xe2x80x9cfizzxe2x80x9d.
Further to be above, any air existing within a container holding liquid to be carbonated may be entrained in the liquid in the process of carbonation. Another problem encountered when air exists in the bottle container is that for certain natural carbonated beverages, such as fruit juices and beer, is that exposure to air can cause these types of beverages to spoil, go stale or otherwise degrade. Further, when air exists in such a bottle containing a carbonated beverage, further re-carbonation of the beverage may be prevented.
Carbonating devices of prior art have attempted to slow the loss of carbonation in the liquid by increasing the pressure in the bottle. However, regardless of the volume of air compressed into the bottle, the carbonation of the liquid is still eventually lost simply because air still remains in the bottle. Prior art devices have also attempted to enable the user to carbonate or re-carbonate beverages utilizing such as a valved coupling apparatus having a conduit there through which can be screwably-attached to the bottle, or cap-type enclosures for injecting carbon dioxide or other such pressurizing gases into a bottle of vine, wherein the gas is injected through the cork stopper cap in the nature of a hypodermic needle.
However, many beverage carbonation systems and apparatus in conventional art still do not adequately address the problem of air existing within the bottle above the carbonated beverage prior to the carbonation process, and most do not address the problem at all. In such prior art carbonation methods that do attempt to address problem of air in container, it is generally required that the liquid to be carbonated or re-carbonated be contained in a plastic squeezable bottle, such as a P.E.T. bottle as it is known in the art, such that the air in the bottle may be removed by manually opening a valve on the apparatus attached to the bottle, and simultaneously manually depressing the sides of the bottle to permit a substantial amount of the air present in the bottle to be ejected through the valved coupling on the bottle into the atmosphere.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,934 issued to Moench on Mar. 14, 1995, discloses a method and apparatus for injecting gas into a bottled fluid to carbonate or maintain carbonation in the liquid, wherein a valve coupling having a conduit extending there through, which is adapted to fixedly attach to the nozzle of a bottle containing liquid. Practice of the Moench invention, however, requires the use of plastic liquid container bottles, such as P.E.T. bottles, which have flexible sides, because in order to purge the container of air, the user must manually depress the sides of the bottle, and simultaneously hold a valve button open on the valved coupling, in order to expel the air.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,535 issued to Meckstroth on Oct. 19, 1976, discloses a system and apparatus for the production of sparkling wine by applying carbon dioxide to wine that is already bottled, utilizing a high pressure cap-type enclosure permitting the carbon dioxide to be applied through the cap with an applicator in the nature of a hypodermic needle. The problem of removing any excess air from the space above the liquid within the container, however, is not addressed in the invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,054 issued to Grill on Mar. 14, 2000, discloses an attachment adapted for a carbonated liquid container which pressurizes the beverage within the container with carbon dioxide or other pressurize gaseous fluid. The attachment is adapted to screwably attach to the nozzle of a bottle container, and provides the user with the ability to vary and control the gas pressure of the container by manipulating a button extending from the attachment. The invention, however, also fails to adequately address the issue of air still remaining in the container prior to the carbonating process.
Such systems and apparatus are often complex, awkward and cumbersome, and further do not enable the user to adequately remove the existing air in bottles other than plastic squeezable bottles, such as from glass bottles containing wine or beer, for example.
What is clearly needed is an improved method and apparatus for carbonating or re-carbonating liquid contained in a bottle, which provides a carbonating apparatus which is of simple design and easily and economically manufactured, utilizing commercially available elements for manufacture. Such an improved method and apparatus simplifies the process of removing the air from within the bottle prior to the application of the pressurizing gas, by eliminating the need to manually squeeze the bottle while simultaneously manually holding opened a valve to eject the air from the bottle. Such an improved method and apparatus is described below in enabling detail.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention a system for carbonating a liquid with carbon dioxide gas is provided, comprising a pressurized source of carbon dioxide gas, a user-operable three-way valve system having a first, a second, and a third orifice providing a first, a second and a third valve state, which in the first state connects the first orifice with the second orifice, in the second state connects the second orifice with the third orifice, and in the third state closes internal passage between all orifices, the valve system connected from the first orifice and a conduit to the pressurized source of carbon dioxide gas, and a closure assembly having an interface to a nozzle of a container for liquid and an orifice connected through a conduit to the second orifice of the three way valve system. The system is characterized in that placing the three-way valve system in the first state admits carbon dioxide under pressure to the container, placing the three-way valve system in the second state connects the container for liquid to the third orifice of the three way valve system, allowing the container for liquid to depressurize, and placing the three-way valve system in the third state closes all passages between orifices.
In some embodiments the three-way valve system comprises a single valve having an internal rotary element for providing the three states. In some cases the rotary element is electrically-powered, and in some cases it is manually-operable.
In a preferred embodiment there is a pressure regulation apparatus attached to the pressurized source of carbon dioxide gas, and a shut-off valve at the pressure regulation apparatus. Also in a preferred embodiment there is a restricted orifice in the closure assembly, such that gas allowed to escape from the liquid container, escapes at a restricted rate.
In another embodiment the system comprises a pedestal-bourn housing with the valve operable through a wall of the housing, and a nozzle through the housing connected to the third orifice of the three way valve. In still another embodiment the closure assembly comprises a valve stem mounted through a threaded cap for the liquid container and an air-chuck connected to attaching to the valve stem and to the conduit to the second orifice of the three way valve. In some cases the system is integrated with a water-cooler.
In another aspect of the invention a method for carbonating a liquid is provided, comprising the steps of (a) placing the liquid in a container leaving a volume of air over the liquid at one atmosphere pressure; (b) pressurizing the volume of air over the liquid with carbon dioxide gas to at least twice atmospheric pressure; (c) releasing the pressure on the container back to one atmosphere, thereby reducing the mass of air in the volume over the liquid by at least a factor of two; (d) re-pressurizing the volume with carbon dioxide gas; and (e) agitating the container to entrain a portion of the gas in the volume over the liquid to within the liquid.
In another embodiment of the method a further step is provided for releasing the pressure on the container, after the agitation step, back to one atmosphere. In some cases the final pressure release is accomplished through a restricted orifice to be slow enough to prevent frothing of the liquid. Also in some cases multiple pressurization and release steps are accomplished before the agitation step.
In yet another aspect of the invention a closure assembly for assembling to a threaded nozzle of a container for liquid is provided, comprising an interface threaded to engage the threaded nozzle, a seal system for rendering the interface to the nozzle hermetically sealed, and an adapter to a conduit for connecting the container to a source of pressurized gas.
In a preferred embodiment the adapter comprises a commercially available valve stem assembled to an especially adapted cap providing the interface threaded to engage the threaded nozzle. In another embodiment there is a commercially available air chuck for connecting to the valve stem. In some cases the adapter comprises a proprietary combination valve stem and threaded interface, and the seal is a rubber washer between the combination valve stem and the nozzle. In still other cases the adapter comprises a proprietary valve stem molded using rubber or other flexible material, the valve stem having a circular sealing wing positioned for sealing between the nozzle and a cap.